


Marry Me

by pickabase



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Almost Kiss, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, First Kiss, M/M, One-Sided Relationship, Pining, Unrequited Love, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-04-18 07:21:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14208066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pickabase/pseuds/pickabase
Summary: Danny is in love with and marrying Melissa. Steve is in love with Danny, but Danny doesn't know it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick one-shot that is loosely based on the song "Marry Me" by Thomas Rhett.

“I don’t know man. I’m not sure I want to get married again,” Danny said to Steve one evening out on the lanai. “Well, I do want to get married again. I just don’t know if I’m really any good at the whole husband thing.”

“Come on, buddy. You know you’d make an awesome husband. You just have to find the right person that makes you want to take that next step again. Like the way you felt when you and Rachel first got married.” Steve said while taking a swig of his beer.

“But you see, Steven, look how well that relationship turned out. Rachel and I argue more than we get along. By the end of our marriage I didn’t even recognize myself. Maybe I’m just not cut out for it.”

Steve looked at Danny. He wished the blonde man sitting in front of him could see himself the way that Steve did. Steve was convinced that anyone would be lucky if they had the chance to marry Danny. Hell, as far as he was convinced Rachel really screwed things up for herself.

“Danno, just because things didn’t work for you and Rachel in the end doesn’t mean that you’ll never feel that way again, and there’s nothing to say that maybe the next time won’t be it.”

_I’d give anything to be your next time._ Steve thought to himself, but he would never dare say that to his friend. He played with the beer bottle in his hand and looked at his partner.

Danny looked out at the ocean. He finished off his drink and sat it on the table. He stood up and straightened out his slacks. He looked at Steve like he was pondering saying something, and then he began nodding his head.

“You know what, man. You’re absolutely right. I shouldn’t let what happened between me and Rachel keep me from being happy. I’m going to ask Melissa to marry me. We’ve been together a while now, and we’ve been through a hell of a lot and she has stuck by me through everything. I think it’s time that we take this next step. I’m going to ask her at dinner tomorrow night.”

Steve smiled solemnly at Danny. He was happy for his friend, he truly was, but he could feel his heart crush. He was so hopelessly in love with the blue-eyed man that stood in front of him that it physically hurt. He wanted so desperately to be the one that he asked to marry him. He wanted to be able to touch Danny without having to brush it off like a simple touch between two friends. He wanted to be able to hold his hand and kiss him quiet when Danny began ranting about _“No Steven, pineapple does not, and will never, belong on pizza. What kind of animal are you?”._ He wanted to go to sleep by his side and wake up in his arms every day. But no, Danny was straight, and not only was he straight, but he had a girlfriend. A gorgeous girlfriend. A gorgeous girlfriend that he loved and was going to propose to. There was no way that Danny felt anything other than platonic feelings toward him. So, Steve would have to keep pushing his feelings to the side like he has been doing for years.

“When she says yes, I’ve got dibs on best man, alright?” He said to Danny with a light chuckle.

“I was actually thinking of asking Chin,” Danny said seriously as he looked at the taller man who’s face seemed to fall at that answer, so Danny spoke again. “I’m kidding you Neanderthal. Of course, you’ll be my best man. The only person I would ever consider being my best man other than you would be Matty, but you know,” Danny’s voice caught in his throat and he looked away from Steve.

Steve reached out and put his shoulder on Danny’s shoulder and squeezed. “Just because he won’t be there physically, Danno, doesn’t mean he won’t be there at all.”

Danny swallowed hard. He missed his baby brother like crazy, but he knew Matty and he wouldn’t want him to be upset about him not being able to be there. In fact, Matty would probably tell him that he’s lucky that he’s not going to be there because now he won’t be able to tell everyone about that time back when they were kids and he dared Danny to hide out on the neighbor’s fire escape and take a picture of Mrs. Gonzalez while she was changing and he got caught – which was not Danny’s fault AT ALL. If that damn cat hadn’t jumped down from the fire escape above them Danny most definitely wouldn’t have screamed, and Mrs. Gonzalez never would have seen him, thank you very much.

He smiled at the memory and turned around to clap Steven on the arm. “You’re right babe. And since I can’t have him as my best man, I’m glad that I get you.”

He smiled at Steve and pulled him into a hug. Steve hugged him back tightly and breathed in the scent that was just so _Danny_. He may have held on a moment longer than necessary, but for some reason he felt like this was goodbye and he needed that extra moment.

They finally pulled apart and he told Danny, “Let me know when she says yes, alright? And if you two aren’t too busy celebrating you can come over and we’ll have a few cold ones and celebrate, alright?” He flashed Danny a toothy smile.

“Sounds like a plan, babe. Thank you for tonight, seriously.”

“Ah, don’t mention it buddy. Just remember to mention in your vows how you wouldn’t be up there if it wasn’t for me.”

Danny rolled his eyes but gave Steve a soft smile. “Yeah, whatever you big goof. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you, babe” he said as he left.

“Love you, too, buddy,” Steve said to him as he left. _If only you knew how much_ , he thought as he watched the blonde get into his Camaro and drive off.

Steve sighed to himself as he got ready for bed. He was heartbroken. The love of his life was going to propose to someone who wasn’t him. He was going to have to watch Danny _pledge the rest of his life_ to someone that _wasn’t him_ and that killed him. But, even if he couldn’t have Danny in the way that he truly craved him, at least he still had him as his best friend. So, Steve was going to be his best man. He was going to stand up there beside Danny in his dress blues and support him. He would probably have to take a shot, or three, before the ceremony so that he didn’t break down in the middle, but dammit if he wasn’t going to make it through the wedding without a smile on his face the entire time.

He crawled into bed and looked at the empty space beside him and he dreamt of a certain police detective who belonged there right beside him.

 

**6 months later**

“Oh my God I’m freaking out,” Danny said as he paced in front of Steve in the taller man’s kitchen. They’d decided to have the wedding on the beach in Steve’s backyard. He was dressed in a plain, simple black suit, but on him it looked elegant. Steve’s breath hitched every time he looked at the man.

“Calm down, Danno. This is what you’ve been waiting for. You’re finally going to marry Melissa. It’s all you’ve been talking about since she said yes six months ago,” he told his friend as he handed him a Longboard to try to calm his nerves.

“I know that it’s all I’ve been talking about, Steven,” Danny said as he took the beer. “I’m aware of what I have been saying. But I can’t help but think that maybe this is a mistake. What if it’s too soon? Maybe we aren’t right for each other. What if I screw this up like I’ve screwed up every relationship I have had in the past and she leaves me and then next thing I know I’m single for the rest of my pathetic life. What if I’m meant to be with someone else,” he looked at Steve with a knowing look in his eyes.

Steve looked at the man. He wanted nothing more than to shake him and tell him that, yes, he was making a mistake. Because he belonged with Steve, not Melissa. Steve’s mind flashed back to a few months prior.

 

**2 months ago**

“I really appreciate you coming over to help, babe. I’m really no good at this stuff,” he told Steve.

It was Saturday and Steve had given the whole team the weekend off because they had had a seriously brutal case the week before. The only way any of them would be working again before Monday was if Governor Denning personally called them with a case.

Danny had asked Steve to come over and help him redecorate Grace’s bedroom. It was going to be a surprise for the teenager. She had been mentioning over the past few weeks how she wanted to make her room look less like a little girl’s room and more like it belonged to a 16-year-old. Grace had been doing well in school and was good about helping with Charlie when needed, so it was the least he could do for his daughter. And Grace was a lot like Steve, a lot more than Danny would like to admit, so he figured who would be better to help decorate than the ex-SEAL himself.

“Of course, buddy. I love Grace, you know that I would do anything for her. Besides, this is going to be fun. She’s going to love her new room once we’re done with it.”

_3 hours later_

“Hold the damn ladder steady, Steven.”

“I am holding it steady, Danno. Just watch your step.”

“Watch my step he says. Of course I’m going to watch my step Steven. Unlike you Mr. I’m-a-Navy-SEAL-I-can’t-get-hurt-if-I-tried, I actually value my life and I take great care in making sure that I don’t hurt myse—woah!” Danny said as he missed the fourth step on the ladder and fell backwards.

Thanks to Steve’s ninja like reflexes he was able to catch Danny, but unfortunately, he couldn’t keep them both from hitting the floor. Danny fell on top of the SEAL and his face was mere inches from the other mans. Steve’s breath hitched and he took in the close proximity of the blue-eyed man. He couldn’t stop his eyes from flickering down to look at Danny’s lips and he licked his own in response. He could feel the blonde’s breath speed up, but he made no move to move away from the taller man. Steve cautiously moved his hands so that they rested on the small of Danny’s back and he lightly traced an unknown pattern to the area. Danny’s arms rested on Steve’s shoulders and he swallowed hard. His eyes never left Danny’s and he could feel the other man’s heart beating against his chest. Nothing had ever felt more _right_. He had Danny in his arms and they both fit together perfectly.

“Steve.” He heard the shorter man whisper.

“Danno,” he whispered back and began to lean in.

Danny’s eyes fluttered closed and when he was close enough to feel Danny’s breath on his lips and was about to _finally_ take the next step that he had been waiting _so long_ to do - his phone rang. It was enough to bring Danny back to reality and before he knew it Danny was pulling out of his arms to stand up. Steve couldn’t quite hide the disappointed whimper that left his lips, but he quickly got himself together.

“McGarrett,” he said as he answered his phone. “Yes sir. We’re on it.”

Steve hung up the phone and looked at his partner. Danny looked so torn, like he didn’t know whether to talk about what just happened or to ignore it, so Steve made the decision.

“Come on, that was Governor Denning. We caught a case.”

They never spoke of that moment again and the following week Steve received a formal invite to Danny and Melissa’s wedding.

 

**Present Day**

Steve sighed at the memory. He had almost kissed Danny. He had almost done what he had been longing for so long to do. He couldn’t help but wonder what if. What if he had kissed Danny? Would he still be marrying Melissa, or would that maybe be him up there with the blonde man in front of their friends and family.

Steve couldn’t help but think how easy it would be for him to just tell Danny how he felt. Let the man know how much Danny meant to him. Tell him that he was in love with him and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him.

But Steve took one look at Danny as he was thanking his family from coming. He saw the happy, carefree look on Danny’s face and he knew he wasn’t going to ruin today for him by mentioning his feelings. Danny was happy with Melissa, he didn’t need Steve confusing him. Plus, Steve really didn’t think he would be able to take it if Danny rejected him. He wouldn’t be able to handle things changing between them. He’d rather have Danny as his best friend than not at all.

So Steve would push his feelings down. He would stand up there beside Danny and watch him marry Melissa. He would smile through the whole thing. Then during the reception, he would give a speech. He would make a joke about how it wasn’t too late for Melissa to run for the hills. He would joke and say that she was a saint for being able to put up with him. He would pretend that everything was normal and that he was happy for Danny, and if he drank a little too much that night, well that’s okay. Because Danny would be married. But Danny wouldn’t be married to him.


	2. I love you, more

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several people wanted me to post a sequel where the boys figured their shit out, so here we go!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note: I posted this earlier, but I wasn't quite happy with the way that I ended it, plus someone said how that didn't really seem like Danny. So I had to re-work it.

Danny was standing with one hand on Melissa’s waist, and the other nursing a beer while talking to his wedding guests. Steve stood and watched from a distance. He watched how Danny would gently squeeze Melissa’s waist, or how he would rub his hand up and down her side and occasionally, he would kiss her temple. It was torture, and it hurt more than anything in the world, but Danny looked happy.  Danny had now been married for exactly 2 hours and 37 minutes (not that Steve was counting).

Steve was happy for Danny, but he couldn’t stand to watch this anymore. While Danny was busy talking to some of his family members from Jersey, Steve took the opportunity to slip out the back door. He got in his truck and just started driving. He didn’t plan to go anywhere, and just drove around for about an hour, but in the end, he ended up at the restaurant. _His and Danny’s_ restaurant.

Steve got out of the truck and went inside. He took in how far they had come. _Steve’s_ was set to open in 2 weeks when Danny got back from his honeymoon. Steve walked to the back wall where they decided to decorate with pictures of their Ohana. There were pictures of Kono and Adam, Chin and little Sarah, Tani and Junior, and even Kamekona; but Steve couldn’t help but focus all his attention on one picture in particular. Right in the center was a picture of him, Danny, Grace and Charlie. It was taken just before they decided to open the restaurant. In the picture they were all at the beach. Steve had just tackled Danny into the water, and Grace and Charlie had jumped in after them. In the picture, you see Danny grab Steve in a headlock for what he had just done, and they were both laughing. Charlie was hanging onto one of Steve’s arms, and Grace was trying to help pull her dad off Steve. They hadn’t even realized that the picture was being taken.

_We look like a family_ Steve thought. If only they were a real family. Steve sighed and reached his hand up to touch the photo, like if somehow touching it would make the events of today seem like they hadn’t happened.

“You know, I’ve always loved that picture,” Steve heard a familiar voice say. He turned around quickly and saw Danny standing in front of him. He stood in front of Steve with his suit jacket open, his tie loosened, and the first few buttons undone. Steve’s heart ached at the sight.

“I – Yeah. Me too,” he replied.

“What happened to you at the reception? You were there one minute, and then I looked up and you were nowhere to be found. You didn’t even say goodbye, babe,” Danny looked him in the eyes.

“I’m sorry, Danno. You were busy talking and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“That’s bullshit, Steven. You and I both know that interrupting is what your best at,” he said with a smirk that disappeared just as fast as it appeared. Danny took in a deep breath and took a step closer. “What really happened Steve?”

Steve stood frozen. Danny had noticed that something wasn’t right, but Steve wasn’t sure that he wanted to tell him the truth. Today was supposed to be one of the happiest days of Danny’s life and Steve didn’t want to ruin that.

Danny took another step closer. “Tell me babe. Because I think I know, but I can’t be sure.”

Steve began to panic. His eyes widened, and he tried to take a step backwards, but the wall of pictures was behind him and he could only go but so far.

Danny continued to step forward. “Please, babe.”

Before Steve knew it, Danny was pressed right up against him and had his hands on the lapels of his jacket and Steve just couldn’t hold back anymore. He surged forward and pressed his lips to Danny’s. _Finally,_ Steve thought to himself. They kissed gently for a few moments, and then Steve felt Danny’s tongue on his lips and it brought him back to reality. He quickly pulled back.

“Wait, Danny we can’t do this. You just got married. You love Melissa.”

Danny looked at him with those big blue eyes. He bit his lip like he was debating something.

“Yeah babe, I do. But you just- I mean,” he looked Steve right in the eyes. “I love you more.”

Steve looked at him and he was done pretending. He was done trying to do the right thing, because as soon as Danny said that he loved him the only thing he could think about was how much he needed to kiss him.

So, he did.

He grabbed Danny by the waist and twisted them around so Danny’s back was against the wall and he captured his lips between his own. This kiss was anything but gentle. It was all teeth and tongue and it was glorious. He let his hands wander down to Danny’s ass and squeezed. He heard Danny moan and try to press forward. Steve felt Danny’s hips connect with his and he lost what little self-control he had left. He lifted Danny off the ground and used the wall to help hold him up. Danny wrapped his legs around Steve’s hips.

Under any other circumstances, Danny probably would have yelled at him about manhandling him, but the friction that this new position caused quickly made him forget any such thoughts. They kissed for a long time. Finally, their kisses slowed down, and they just stood there with their foreheads pressed together.

Danny started laughing and Steve couldn’t help but follow. He gently let Danny down and they continued to laugh until they were both on the ground.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now,” Steve said after a few moments of silence.

Danny smiled at him softly and laid his head on Steve’s shoulder. Steve let his head rest on top of Danny’s.

“I love you, Danno,” he said gently.

“I love you, too.”

“Why’d you come after me Danny,” Steve asked as he pulled back to look the blonde man in the eyes. “I mean, you literally left your wedding to come after me. Why?”

“Because when I couldn’t find you anywhere I panicked. I don’t know what I was feeling, but I didn’t like it. I just knew that you weren’t there and that just didn’t feel right.”

“I’m sorry,” he told Danny. “It’s just- watching you with Melissa. I couldn’t keep doing it. I was going to try to drink my feelings away, but after my second drink it just made things worse. And I knew that I couldn’t be there anymore.” He mumbled something after that.

“What was that, babe? I didn’t quite catch that.”

Steve closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I said I just couldn’t keep watching the love of my life with someone who wasn’t me.”

Danny grinned and kissed him softly. Steve kissed him back, but after a moment he pulled away and sighed sadly.

“We can’t do this Danny. You’re married now. You just married Melissa in front of all of our friends and family.”

“I know. But I can’t go back to her Steve, not now. I don’t love her like I love you,” he said to the taller man and cupped his cheek. “I mean she and her family are probably gonna be pissed at me forever and I’ll probably be spending the next 30 years paying them back for the wedding, but I want you. I want us.”

“It’s not that simple, Danny. You two are _married_ now.”

Danny started laughing uncontrollably and Steve looked at him like he’d grown a second head.

“What in the world are you laughing at?” he asked.

Danny stopped laughing and just grinned at him. “I guess now would be a good time to tell you that I never got the marriage certificate filed.”

“Wait what?” he asked incredulously.

“I just, I got caught up in everything and I thought that Melissa was going to file it, and she thought I was going to file it. So we decided to just do the ceremony as planned, and then worry about the actual license later.”

“So… what exactly are you saying, Danno?”

“What I am saying Steven,” he said as he crawled over into Steve’s lap so that he was straddling him, “is that technically, I’m not married.”

Steve couldn’t contain the joy he felt. He simply grabbed Danny’s lips with his and kissed him with everything he had.

“I love you,” he told the man seriously. “I mean it Danny. I love you more than anything in this world.”

Danny kissed him on the forehead and looked at him in the eyes. “I know, babe. I love you, too.”

He gave the dark-haired man a quick peck on the lips and then stood up. “But before this goes any further, I do need to end things with Melissa formally.”

Steve nodded at what he said and stood up. “I understand Danno. She deserves that.”

“I promise you babe, once this is over then it’s just you and me, okay?”

Steve smiled and grabbed Danny into a hug. “Okay,” he said back.

Finally they separated and both headed back to the ceremony. They both decided that it would be best to wait until the reception was over before Danny broke the news to Melissa.

They all enjoyed the rest of the night. Steve would occasionally catch Danny’s eye and they would both smile with knowing.

 

**2 weeks later**

 

Steve sat in his office trying to catch up on some paperwork. He hadn’t really seen or spoken to Danny much since the night of his wedding. He did know that Danny had told Melissa what had happened, and how he truly felt, but he didn’t know what her reaction had been. He had sent several texts and attempted to call the shorter man many times with no success. He knew that the two of them went on their honeymoon like they had planned, and yeah it hurt. He was pretty mad at Danny when he had found out, but he knew how the other man felt, and he knew that things would work out the way that they were supposed to in the end.

Steve finished what he was doing and decided to call it a night. He grabbed a pizza from that little pizza joint down the road that Danny said had the best pizza on the island and sat out on the lanai. He was 2 slices and half a beer in when he heard his doorbell ring.

He opened the door to see Danny standing there.

“Hey Steve,” he said cautiously.

“Hey,” Steve replied back.

The two of them stood there for a minute just staring at each other, not saying anything.

“Well, are you going to let me in?” Danny asked him.

Steve shook himself out of his trance and moved aside so that the blue-eyed man could come inside.

“So I think I owe you an explanation,” Danny began.

“No you don’t,” Steve tried to say, but was interrupted by the detective.

“Yes I do babe. I told you that I was going to tell Melissa about us, and then after I tell her I up and leave for 2 weeks on what was supposed to be our honeymoon. Plus I didn’t really answer any of your calls or texts.”

Steve couldn’t deny that he had questions, because he did. He knew that Danny loved him, but Danny is the kind of guy that would try to make things work with Melissa just to keep her from hurting.

“I told her,” he said. “And at first she was mad, I mean she was furious. I won’t even tell you half the things she said, but once she calmed down she told me that she understood. She said that she’s honestly shocked that it took this long for me to notice how I felt about you.”

Steve just looked at the other man, encouraging him to continue.

“She told me that she loved me, and she also told me that she didn’t want to lose me in her life completely. She said that she wanted to be friends, and I told her that I wanted the same thing. I mean, just because I’m not in love with the girl doesn’t mean I don’t love her, ya know? She’s like my best friend – aside from you babe,” he grinned at the former SEAL. “She said that she still wanted to go on our honeymoon together, but just as friends. And I couldn’t deny her that Steve. I mean, this girl thought that she was going to spend the rest of her life with me as her husband and I go and tell her _after_ we said our vows that I didn’t love her like that. I just felt like I owed her that at least. So we went, and we talked, and here we are now.”

“So what does that mean for us? I mean, that is if there still is an us,” Steve asked him.

“Danny stepped closer to Steve. “That’s pretty much what Melissa and I talked about while we were gone. She wanted to make sure that I was sure that this was what I wanted. That I wasn’t going to do something that I would regret later.”

Steve nodded at what the shorter man said. “And what did you decide?”

“That this is what I wanted. That I wanted you. I want us,” he replied.

“Okay,” Steve replied. “So what do we do now?”

“Well, now,” Danny said as he took Steve’s hand, “now, you take me to bed, Super SEAL,” he smiled.

Steve kissed him hard at that answer. He took Danny by the hand up to his bedroom and couldn’t help but think how right everything felt. Because Danny wasn’t married to someone that wasn’t him, and who knows – maybe one day Danny would get married again. And maybe, just maybe, that time Danny would be married to him.


End file.
